Living on the Edge

After church Sunday, most of the group headed back towards the mission, which has become home. About ten of us stuck around for our elephant safari that was later on Sunday evening. Riding on the back of an elephant is an unforgettable experience and I look forward to sharing pictures and videos with all of you when I arrive back in the states.
That night, those of us that were left over visited an excellent authentic restaurant called “The Arts Café.” Although I have eaten nsima several times, I tasted several traditional Zambian foods that were new to me, such as Kapenta (sardine type things), caterpillar worm things, a fish head, and cibwantu (sour milk tasting drink). The restaurant has live music and we had an excellent time dancing and laughing with the local Zambians. There are videos of us dancing with the waitresses and cooks, which is truly hilarious. For whatever reason, this is the night I changed my mind and decided I would not live with myself unless I bungee jump.
This same night, we all decided to go swimming at the Waterfront Hotel. As we were adjusting to the cold water, Ba Shawn appears out of nowhere and belly flops into the pool. Ba Shawn is truly an amazing man. I already had respect for Ba Shawn as a good Christian professor and leader, but after this weekend I have a deeper respect for him; a respect that is of one friend to another. The fact that Ba Shawn was able to lower himself to the level of college students means a lot to each of us that were present. Ba Shawn organized everything so that we would have as much fun as possible and his sincere love for each student is quite evident. He loaned me 150 dollars so that I could experience the bungee jump, gorge swing, and zip line on Monday morning.
This weekend I decided to live as if I was dying. I value my life here on Earth much more now that I have free fallen 111 meters two times in one hour. I was truly relieved when I survived the bungee jump and gorge swing. Although I was not quite as nervous as I anticipated, my heart was racing around 120 bpm. It is impossible to explain the adrenaline rush one receives while free falling this far; I cannot begin to replicate the sensation in my mind. I am very pleased that I decided to overcome such tremendous heights and plunge off of the Victoria Falls Bridge above the Zambezi River. Once I raft the Nile my bucket list for Africa will be complete.